The Grimm and Hexenbiest of Notre Dame
by grimmswan
Summary: Nick and Adalind visit Paris in the spring. This story has them just at Notre Dame. When everything is beautiful and nothing hurts. @grimmnadalind5/@DailyArtDc, @adashade created beautiful art work and give me the motivation and inspiration to write.


It didn't matter if it sounded like a cliche', Nick and Adalind wanted to be in Paris in the spring.

They left the kids with their friends and flew to the city of lights.

Nick had chosen the hotel, mostly based on it's name, and it's location. He did make sure that it had good reviews on the travel sight. He wanted to be sure he and Adalind would be very comfortable.

The Esmeralda was perfect. Nick just happened to know that Adalind had been a fan of the book, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, when she was a teenager and had seen every movie ever inspired by the story.

He particularly remembered with fondness a very cozy evening watching the Disney version with the kids. Though he would have been happy to have lived without them shouting "Sanctuary!" for the next two weeks after.

He did however very much enjoy Adalind dressing up as the lead female character and dancing for him.

It may have been what encouraged him to book the trip.

The hotel's style lent to an air of charm and romance. It reminded Nick of movies where men would bow and kiss a ladies hand while she fluttered her eyelashes and hid her smile behind an elaborately decorated fan, usually made out of lace.

Adalind would never admit it, but Nick knew she was a hopeless romantic and she loved all of the sappy love stories she could get her hands on. So the Hotel Esmeralda was perfect for them to stay at for their romantic trip to Paris.

Nick also liked that it was across the Seine from Notre Dame. He had made sure to book a room with a perfect view of the ancient cathedral.

He got the effect he wanted. Adalind looked around and the brightest smile spread on her face. She looked at him with so much love and adoration that he couldn't help himself and pulled her in to claim her lips with his.

It was the middle of the day. The sun was shining bright. The hotel room window was open, letting in the spring air and sounds of the city. And it all blended in that room with the soft moans and sighs of the couple entwined together in a lover's embrace.

It felt like the most sinful indulgence, laying naked together, in broad daylight. The fact that it was Paris added to the decadence.

"It almost feels like we're having an affair." Adalind remarked with a grin. She was tucked comfortably under Nick's arm. Her head resting on his chest as they laid in the warm afterglow.

Nick looked at her with a fond smile. "The queen whisked away by her devoted knight to their illicit love nest."

They pressed their lips together, reveling in the moment.

But they were in the grand city of Paris, and as tempting as it was, neither wanted to spend the entire trip just making love in their hotel room.

So they forced themselves to separate, clean up, dress and head out to explore.

Something that quickly caught Nick's eye was a sign in english. A book shop that was practically a neighbor to the hotel.

Shakespeare and Company looked to Nick like those bookstores in movies where the preteen main character gets sucked into a different dimension and ends up having to save the day. It was certainly unique.

Adalind looked like a kid in a candy store. She was smiling so brightly and touching everything.

The couple made their way deeper into the bookstore and came across an open window. A cool breeze carried in the perfume of spring blossoms. Notre Dame Cathedral could be clearly seen, her stunning beauty highlighted by the fresh foliage all around.

Nick can't help but notice they are in a quiet little area. That there is no one around.

It was another picture perfect moment to kiss his wife.

"You keep kissing me like that and we'll never see the rest of the city." Adalind warned. Though they both knew it carried little weight.

They walked across the bridge to the breathtaking cathedral.

"She's over eight hundred years old. Construction started in 1163 and wasn't completed until 1345. It took nearly two hundred years to finish her. Ancient pieces from a pagan temple were found and are stored in an archaeological crypt, beneath the square."

"Why do you keep giving the church female pronouns." Nick asked. Not trying to be condescending, just genuinely curious.

"Because she is called Our Lady of Paris. And so it is only proper to call her what she is."

The look on Adalind's face and her obvious passion for the cathedral and her history made both Adalind and the church even more beautiful in Nick's eyes. He gazed with rapt attention and kept his arm around her as the blonde hexenbiest told him the story of the building.

"In 1909, the famed french heroine, Joan of Arc, who had been falsely accused of heresy and burned at the stake, was given a service right here, where she was blessed by the church."

They made their way up a very large flight of steps, and after what Nick thought was an impressive journey, came upon a bell whose size made the journey worth it.

"Emmanuel." Adalind said. "This is the largest of the bells."

The gazed through the opening at the splendid view of the city center

"She's a survivor." Adalind said softly. Awe and reverence clear in her voice. "The french revolution turned her into a storage house for food and wine. Statues were beheaded and the elaborate ornamental detailing was removed. It was Napoleon who restored her when he became king. In world war two, the Nazi's dropped bombs on her, tried to erase what she stood for. But, though she was wounded, she recovered, as beautiful as ever. No matter what, though she may become crippled, like a phoenix, she will rise again."

"Sounds like someone I know." Nick whispered, kissing her gently. Adalind blushed, and snuggled closer to him.

They continued to explore the extraordinary building. Taking their time to see every detail. They felt that they owed it to the majestic structure after all that she had been through.

Neither said it, but each felt the cathedrals story was very much like the story of their love. So much pain, destruction and sorrow came before it was created. Dedication to something greater inspired passion and devotion. Over and ever so many forces tried to tare it down. But unyielding hearts fought to be sure it persevered.

Adalind laid her head on Nick's shoulder, smiling serenely at being with the man she loved, in a city famous for romance and gazing at the architecture of the legendary location that was the very center of that city.


End file.
